Facts in Mesmerism, or Animal Magnetism. With Reasons for a Dispassionate Inquiry Into it
Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown 1841. First American Edition. x, [2], [1]-539 pages. 8vo. Publisher's dark brown cloth with gilt spine lettering and blindstamped decorations on the front and rear panels. A bright copy with some fraying at the top of the spine panel and light foxing throughout. With the ownership signature of Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (son of the better known mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch) on the title page and dated 1842. Very Good. Cloth. [21251]
Nathaniel I. Bowditch was Vice President of the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1856-1862. Townshend was a skeptic, later a supporter of animal magnetism. The first edition was London, 1840, with the title "Facts in Mesmerism, With Reasons for a Dispassionate Inquiry Into it" and went through a number of editions. Robert H. Collyer has added an appendix "Report of the Boston Committee on Animal Magnetism, as Exhibited by Dr.. Robert H. Collyer" to this edition ("First American Edition" as stated on the title page) There was also a Harper and Brothers edition in 1841 with a page count of 388 pages. Nicely represented in institutional collections but less commonly found in the trade.
Price: $250.00